1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrolytic cell or electrolyzer, and more particularly to an electrolytic cell or electrolyzer having a radial flowing passage for suitably separating and collecting anolyte and catholyte from a flowing electrolyte or water, and for preventing the anolyte and the catholyte from being mixed or blended with each other.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical electrolytic cells or electrolyzers comprise one or more anodes and one or more cathodes disposed within a cell body or container that is provided for receiving electrolyte therein, for generating anolyte and catholyte by energizing or actuating or operating the anodes and the cathodes, and for utilizing the anolyte and the catholyte to electroplate various kinds of work pieces, for example.
In some circumstances, the anolyte and the catholyte are required to be separated from each other, for such as manufacturing or separating chlorine and caustic from brine. Accordingly, one or more separators or separating devices are required to be disposed or engaged into the electrolytic cells or electrolyzers for separating the anolyte and the catholyte from each other in the typical electrolytic cells.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,636 to Chang et al. discloses one of the typical electrolytic cells including a porous polyfluoroalkylene sheet disposed therein and acted as a separator for the electrolysis of brine and for separating the anolyte and the catholyte from each other.
However, the typical porous polyfluoroalkylene sheet is good enough for separating the anolyte and the catholyte from each other in a static or motionless electrolyte in the electrolytic cells or electrolyzers, but the typical electrolytic cells or electrolyzers may not be used for separating and collecting the anolyte and the catholyte from the flowing electrolyte or water.
In addition, normally, the inlet ports of the typical electrolytic cells or electrolyzers include a cross section or area identical to the outlet ports of the typical electrolytic cells or electrolyzers for allowing the electrolyte or water to flow in the same flowing speed into and out of the typical electrolytic cells or electrolyzers, such that the outward flowing speed of the electrolyte or water may not be suitably decreased or slowed down.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional electrolytic cells or electrolyzers for separating the anolyte and the catholyte from each other.